FC Cincinnati will have to regroup and refocus after being eliminated from the Leagues Cup following a tough 2-1 loss to Atlas FC Aug. 11.
Cincinnati jumps right back into Major League Soccer play Aug. 15, playing at Orlando City SC at 7:30 p.m.
Cincinnati was in prime position to advance in the Leagues Cup, leading 1-0 over Atlas late in the second half before the visitors scored twice from the 79th minute on.
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Head coach Pat Noonan lamented the team’s emotional response to the first goal. He noted that if his team had kept the game tied and gone to a penalty-kick shootout, it could have advanced to the knockout quarterfinals. Based on tournament results from Aug. 12, Cincinnati would have clinched a quarterfinal spot by winning the shootout, and with a loss would have been in good shape to advance while needing help from other results Aug. 13.
Cincinnati missed out on not only winning a trophy, but qualifying for the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup, which gives spots to the top three placers in the Leagues Cup. Cincy can still qualify for that tournament by winning the MLS Cup trophy or finishing high enough in the Supporters’ Shield standings.
“Just the why,” Noonan said. “How do we improve as a team in these moments. It’s moments, it’s stages of Cup play or a game. If you look at the three games, it was a lot of good but it’s overshadowed by those last 15 minutes, and that’s what we’re trying to eliminate. Be more engaged and understand game management. The emotional fragility, to have that leadership when things don’t go our way. Not letting it affect us so much that things go downhill when things don’t go our way.”
A look at FC Cincinnati’s opponent, Orlando City SC
Cincinnati enters the weekend tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference with 26 points (7-6-5). Orlando is 10th with 20 (6-10-2).
Like Cincinnati, Orlando has had major struggles on defense. They have allowed a league-worst 47 goals, including six to Cincy in TQL Stadium in a 6-2 win for the Orange and Blue May 23.
However, since the World Cup break, Orlando has shut out two of the top teams in the league, San Jose (4-0) and Nashville (1-0) and lost 3-2 at Red Bull New York. They had five points in the Leagues Cup, on a regulation win, shootout win and regulation loss.
Orlando got a major boost during the summer with the signing of Antoine Griezmann, a 35-year old attacking player. Griezmann has had a long and productive career. He scored 44 goals for the French national team and was a key player in their 2022 World Cup runner-up squad. He scored more than 200 goals in 17 years in the Spanish Premier League, and signed with Orlando in May from Atlético Madrid, where he is the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Griezmann has scored two goals in six games for Orlando, including the Leagues Cup. He scored his 300th career club goal against San Jose.
Noonan has seen a difference in Orlando since his club played them in May before Griezmann’s arrival.
“There are players who have played at such aa high level and won on a high level,” Noonan said. “Just the presence they have to help the group. The morale, what Griezmann has brought to the group, is noticeable. To be able to play one or two-touch, the game understanding, making the big play, the vocal leadership. That presence is so impactful to bring out the best in what is already a strong team. It is a strong team and will be a very tough matchup.”
Martin Ojeda, Orlando’s leading scorer with 11 goals, has not played since the World Cup break with a thigh injury. Orlando is sixth in the East with 30 goals scored.
Noonan said the team’s defensive shape and structure have improved from the lineup that Cincinnati scored six goals on in May. Despite the overall struggles, Orlando still has one of the better keepers in the league in 32-year old Maxime Crepeau, Canada’s starter in the World Cup.
Noonan expects a challenge from the weather in Orlando. The predicted temperature will be in the mid-90s at kickoff, with heat index over 110.
“Defensively, they’ve had experienced players for a while,” he said. “They have a lot of experienced players and they look to be in a good rhythm: Playing style, possession, moving the ball well. Their attack is as good as any in the league.”
Where has Nick Hagglund been?
Cincinnati native Nick Hagglund has not often gotten on the pitch since the World Cup break. He started in the back May 16 at San Diego, then came off the bench late in the game May 23 against Orlando.
Hagglund has been available off the bench in all six games. Noonan said he struggled physically with back issues during the World Cup break, and has fallen down the depth chart with Noonan having Kyle Smith and Sami Gidi, who are more natural midfielders, in the back line.
Noonan said Hagglund has continued to prepare.
“(His) mentality is always second to none,” Noonan said. “He understands the role he’s in right now, as a senior leader being managed in a way that he understands his value even when he’s not starting. He told me ‘You’ll need me at some point and I’ll be ready.’”
Kyle Smith returns to Orlando
Kyle Smith, a Cincinnati native and La Salle High School graduate, will return to Orlando where he played in MLS for seven seasons before signing with his hometown club in the offseason.
Smith, 34, played a lot of defensive midfield with Orlando but has started in the back line in Cincinnati’s last two clean sheets, last week against Pachuca and April 25 against Red Bull New York.
“He’s versatile,” Noonan said. “He’s played on either side, some wingback. We feel his strengths are in deeper positions at this stage of his career. Reliability, give him a task and he’s ready to do it to the best of his ability. He fits in so well with the group. He’s always ready and he always wants to help the team … He simplifies his decisions, he knows how to eliminate risks when things aren’t so clear. He does a great job to anticipate and cover plays for his teammates, and he gets a lot of plays right.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati travels to Orlando to resume Major League Soccer play